Busch Takes Another Xfinity Win At Indy

Kyle Busch continued his dominating ways in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by winning the Indiana 250 from the pole on an action-filled day of NASCAR racing. Busch’s fourth Xfinity Series win at Indy and his fifth pole in seven starts at the historic 2.5-mile oval came on a day filled with Xfinity Series racing and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practices.

“It was really tough to pass, even when you had a run on guys,” said Busch, who led a race-high 46 of the 100 laps. “You could pass some of the guys that were built more for long-run longevity, the No. 7 (Justin Allgaier) was. You could pass them on the straightaways.”

Busch held onto the lead during a four-lap dash to the finish in his No. 18 Combos Toyota. He restarted as the leader while defending Indiana 250 winner Justin Allgaier was second. Allgaier’s No. 7 Suave Men Chevrolet was on Busch’s rear bumper for the final four laps, but he couldn’t overcome Busch’s short-run speed and his horsepower on the long straightaways. Busch beat Allgaier by .132 of a second.

“Kyle’s great, especially on late race restarts,” said Allgaier, who won Stage 2 and led 24 laps overall. “That’s what sets him apart in the Cup side and here in the Xfinity Series. Hats off to our guys. Our Suave Men Camaro was unreal, especially on the long run. We were able to really push those guys. I knew Kyle’s weakness was the long run, and I kind of exploited those. We had a couple late-race restarts that just didn’t go our way and put us a little bit behind.”

Allgaier beat his two JR Motorsports teammates as Noah Gragson finished third in the No. 9 Switch Chevrolet and Jeb Burton finished fourth in the No. 8 State Water Heaters Chevrolet. Indiana native Justin Haley rounded out the top five in the No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet.

The end of the Indiana 250 was filled with dramatic action. Contact between Austin Cindric’s No. 22 Menards/Richmond Ford and Busch’s teammate Brandon Jones in the No. 19 First Foundation Toyota in Turn 3 prompted a caution on Lap 89. On the restart with eight laps to go, Xfinity Series championship contenders Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick crashed while battling for the lead in Turn 2 on Lap 93. Bell held the inside line, while Reddick was on the outside. The two drove through Turn 1 side-by-side, and then Bell’s No. 20 Rheem/Parker Hannifin Toyota got loose entering Turn 2 and slid into Reddick’s No. 2 Anderson’s Maple Syrup Chevrolet.

The cars went nose-first into the outside SAFER Barrier. Both drivers climbed from their cars without assistance and were unhurt. The race featured eight cautions for 31 laps, and there were 14 lead changes among seven different drivers.